The invention relates to an automotive vehicle having a removable seat wholly supported by integrated seat risers. More particularly, the invention relates to an automotive vehicle having at least one pair of integrated seat risers mounted in the floor or bed of the vehicle. The seat risers lie flush and concealed with the vehicle floor when in an inoperative position and extend upwardly when in an operative position. To facilitate an easier installation and removal of the vehicle seat, the seat risers are capable of being locked into the operative position. Also in order to increase installation ease, the seat risers are substantially capable of self-engagement with an appropriately equipped seat assembly.
More large automotive vehicles, including station wagons, vans, passenger trucks, utility and recreation vehicles, are purchased for their carrying capacity. This carrying capacity includes not only the transportation of passengers, but also the transportation of various sizes and amounts of cargo. For this reason, most, if not all, of these vehicles come with some type of removable or stow-away seat.
Typically, the removable seat assemblies of these vehicles are of the self-standing type. Accordingly, each seat assembly has its own set of frame mounted legs or risers. Once the seat assembly is positioned inside the vehicle, the frame mounted risers are bolted or latched to the floor of the vehicle.
The frame mounted risers do not interfere with either the driver or the passengers once secured in the vehicle. The same is true once the seat assembly is removed from the vehicle. However, during the installation and subsequent removal of the seat assembly, frame mounted risers have demonstrated several limitations. The two most significant of these limitations being size and weight.
Typically, frame mounted risers have a height variance of eight to fourteen inches. The increased seat height is advantageous in that it promotes passenger comfort and visibility. However, this increase in assembly height displays disadvantages, predominantly during the installation and removal of the seat assembly in the limited confines of the vehicle's cargo area. The list of casualties from the protruding frame mounted risers includes scratched and marked up floors, doors, door wells and sometimes even the legs of the person handling the assembly.
A second limitation of frame mounted riser is the resulting weight increase to the seat assembly itself. During the installation or removal of a seat assembly, the person performing the function must do so while in a bent over position. This is again because of the limited confines of the vehicle's cargo area. Any increase in weight thus compounds the difficulty of installation and removal. Conversely, any decrease in seat assembly weight aids the installation or removal procedure.
Prior art has shown vehicle seat support members being mounted in the floor of a vehicle and being movable between a flush position and an upright position. One such example in U.S. Pat. No. 251,737. The aforementioned patent shows risers D movable between a concealed position in FIG. 1 and an upright position, in FIG. 2, where the risers support a portion of a vehicle seat folded out to form a bed. Unlike the present invention, the risers of the previously mentioned patent do not support the entire seat assembly.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,425 discloses a riser type member 44 being movable between a concealed position and an upwardly extending seat locking position. However, no disclosure is made of using a rotatably mounted frame supported riser for facilitating the full use of a vehicle having a removable seat. Rather, the purpose of member 44 is to lock a rotatable coach train seat in the rotated position.
It is the object of the present invention to eliminate both the height and weight limitations of removable vehicle seat assemblies having frame mounted seat risers. It is another object of the present invention to encourage the full utilization of the vehicle.
Once the seat assembly is removed, the riser of the present invention lies flush and concealed with the bed or floor of the vehicle's cargo area. This is the inoperative position of the riser. From the inoperative position, the riser of the present invention is capable of pivoting about one axis and locking in an upwardly extending position. This is the operatively position of the riser.
With the risers in the operative position, a seat assembly need only be manipulated into the vehicle's cargo area and positioned on the risers. The present invention is designed so that a seat assembly, having corresponding engagement elements, will be able to substantially self-engage the risers through guide slots in the upper surface of the risers. To facilitate engagement, one positions the seat assembly's engagement elements over the appropriate guide slots and pushes down on the seat assembly. Once engaged, the seat assembly is entirely supported by and through the risers.
Disengagement of the seat assembly from the risers is also accomplished in two steps. First, sliding a spring biased engagement member backwards disengaging the arms thereof and second, lifting the seat assembly and engagement elements out of the riser slots.
With the incorporation of the seat risers into the vehicle floor, the overall seat assembly is considerably reduced in height and weight.
With these subsequent reductions in height and weight, the seat assembly is more easily moved and manipulated during installation and removal. The ease in which one can readily install and remove the seat assembly thus further encourages an operator to use the vehicle to its fullest extent.
Additional benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates from the subsequent description of the preferred embodiments and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.